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pleasantly surprised with this record which is a lot more bluesy than I thought it was going to
be although Angelique obviously has the range and talent to generate many genres of music.

Graham Harrison

Travellin’ Blue Kings—Bending the Rules—Naked NP063

(www.travellinbluekings.com)

Originally founded by Belgian and Dutch musicians, the five-
piece Travellin’ Blue Kings is now an exclusively Belgian outfit.
It is, as befits the name, a driving outfit, and, as the powerful
opener ‘Too Many People’ shows, full of high energy. The ap-
proach alters a little for the following track, ‘Do It Baby’, with
more of a swinging approach, but Patrick Cuyvers’ Hammond
organ-playing drives things along, and singer JB Biesmans’ sax
adds a slightly unexpected tone.

‘Never Never Land’ takes something of a detour, with delicate strings and a considered, control-
led guitar solo from Jimmy Hontelé on a blues ballad, before some tremolo guitar introduces the
relatively cool, late 50s or early 60s blues of ‘What Needed Doin’ Done’. The slow- to mid-tempo
‘Gotta Get Away’ (already released as a single) again has a tough sound, though with a jazzy
section towards the end. ‘Hold Your Horses’ is a tasty Fabulous Thunderbirds inflected rocker,
and has JB adding some Kim Wilson-ish blues harp.

‘A Stiffer Drink’ has a boogaloo rhythm, leading into the jazzy instrumental title track (shout out
to the rhythm section of Winne Penninckx on bass and drummer Marc Gijbels for this one),
before ‘If Only…’ adds a lighter touch, and the final two tracks see the album out in fine blues
fashion.

A rather nicely varied album this – all the tracks are strongly blues-based, and there is a
contemporary feel to most. Worth checking out.

Norman Darwen
Son of Dave—Call Me King—Goddamn SODCD005
(www. https://www.facebook.com/theoriginalsonofdave)

This is where the older forms of blues meet alt-blues and other
contemporary sounds. Try the opener – closely related to Big
Joe Williams’ ‘Baby Please Don’t Go’, but with beatboxing added
to the venerable-sounding blues harp lines. Or lend an ear to
‘Wild Wild You’ which has shades of Charlie Sayles or maybe
even Papa Lightfoot’s sole album – yes, it’s that tough. Or may-
be try the unclassifiable ‘I’m Going Monkey For Your Love’ –
blues yes, but more than that.

Son Of Dave is in fact Benjamin Darvill, and “Call Me King” is his
tenth album. He can be equally uncompromising lyrically, as on ‘F That Daily Mail’. He does
mellow a little on the John Lee Hooker-ish title track – relatively speaking, of course - and
‘Someday Soon’ recalls Sonny Boy Williamson No. 2 (Rice Miller’s) solo European recordings in
the 60s, whilst ‘Knock Off’ is a kind of modern take (with harp) on Cab Calloway.